It’s said that art mirrors life. In hip-hop’s case, there’s always been a deliberate entanglement of perception and reality. Fans demand their MCs be real…but never too real. Successful hip-hop is about the hint of the danger, the tease of it, the mystique. Hip-hop is about balance.
Gucci Mane is an artist striving for that balance, volatility versus musicality. Controversy, including a feud with former collaborator Young Jeezy, has grabbed the headlines, with insufficient regard paid to his considerable mic skills, raw talent, and business acumen. Gucci is looking to wrest his name from public speculation and let his own words do the talking.
“I wish everybody well who’s making money in this rap game,” the Atlanta-raised rapper says, dismissing the controversy that followed him in the past. “My own rap game is going so good, I’ve got so many things on my plate at my label, that I don’t got time for other people’s business.” With a deal with Asylum Records as the boss of his own label, So Icey Entertainment, Gucci does indeed have a full schedule with no time to dwell on the past.
“I live my life with no regrets. I just wish that a lot of things never happened, but anybody can wish,” says Gucci. Sounds like a man with his eyes on the prize. And you’d expect nothing less from an artist who ground his way to the top via the hustle of independent records. Signing to Big Cat Records in the wake of his local single “Black Tee,” he dropped his debut record, Trap House, in May 2005. The independent album moved an impressive 140,000 units, largely on the strength of the “Icy” single, featuring Jeezy. Clamor over song rights sparked dispute, and the resulting rift grew.
Controversy notwithstanding, Mane’s independence was cemented: “I was on the independent scene for about two years,” he recalls. “It’s crazy! You gotta go into your own pocket to support your craft. You need other avenues to have money coming in, to support your stuff. You might win, you might lose, and it’s a gamble out there with the independent circuit. One thing you’d better have is good music because without that, you go downhill fast in the independent game.”
Good music firmly in hand, Gucci was fast approaching stardom when more tragedy befell him. But let’s backtrack; how did the man born Radric Davis in Bessemer, Alabama, become Gucci Mane, mouthpiece for Atlanta stuntin’? Mane remembers little from his time in Alabama, just that it was rural, and that it’s changed dramatically since he left at the age of nine. “I gotta shout out Alabama though, because they holdin’ it down,” he affirms. “Every time I go there to do a show, I’m impressed with how hip-hop culture has taken root.”
Mane’s identity coalesced when he moved with his mother to Atlanta. “I lived all of my adolescent and adult life in Atlanta,” he explains. “I’m from East Atlanta Zone Six; it was hard, man, it was real rough. I grew up in the Starter jacket era: they’d take your Starter jacket, your 8Ball jacket, they’d take your hat, your shoes. It was just no holds barred on the streets, dog eat dog. If you missed the bus, you had to be crewed up or you’d get jumped. It was wild when I came up.”
It’s a bleak portrait. When asked to describe his home life more vividly, Mane offers a look into his contemplative side, a side honed as a schoolyard poet. “I was just a young dude in a single parent house most of my life. I can’t complain that much. I would guess it’s like any black child growing up in a single parent household. There are a lot of people who know how that is. I didn’t have a lot coming up; but what I did have, I appreciated. I was blessed to have a caring mother to raise me right and to help me with my business ventures; she’s been there through the whole struggle. There’s a lot that goes along with that; it made me who I am today.”
A stepfather would enter the picture during Mane’s adolescence, introducing not only a male figure, but also inspiration for Mane’s unusual moniker. “My father came in, the original Gucci Mane; that’s what people in the neighborhood called him, and that’s where I get my name from. From then on, I grew up the son of a hustler and a schoolteacher; it was the best of both worlds because I was educated twice.” Drawing inspiration from a pantheon of rappers before him –Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, the Beastie Boys, N.W.A—Mane went on to release Trap House, a lethal brew of his signature sound: “I call my music straight Gucci: going hard and whatever beats you make you for me, if I’m feeling it, if I’m rocking with it, I’m gonna crush it. When you hear me, you hear a lot of pain, a lot of hood; you hear what’s going on in the inner city in Atlanta.”
Unfortunately, Trap House was ill timed; the month of its release, Gucci was accused of murder and jailed for two days. Eventually deemed to be acting in self-defense, and without sufficient evidence to hold him, Mane was exonerated. But the ordeal left an indelible imprint on the man. “I learned to keep better company, watch where I go, and be mindful of my surroundings at all times,” he reveals. “Watch what I say, watch what I do and how I do it, just keep myself out of the wrong crowd.”
“I always stand up man,” he continues. “I’m one of the toughest guys I know. It’ll take a lot more than that to break me down.” Undeterred, Mane was back in the studio, preparing 2006’s eerily apropos Hard To Kill. The buzz from Hard To Kill vaulted Gucci Mane from regional commodity to national treasure, and major labels responded accordingly: “There was a bidding war going on, and I liked Atlantic’s approach. They made it known that they wanted me, they felt where I was going and that I could grow with them.”
Asylum/Atlantic Records welcomed Gucci Mane in early ’07, granting him his own imprint, So Icey Entertainment. With it comes an entire stable of artists, the So Icey Boyz. As the Boyz ready for their own exposure –“I got them in training; they be in the weight room, pumping iron, doing pushups, shopping at the mall, buying ice”—Gucci is focused on his magnum opus, Back to the Trap House. “I started working on the album, and by the third song, I was like ‘This is going back to the Trap House.’ I started feeling the same way I did when I made my first album. It had the same feel to it, the same freshness. And I had the same hunger and desire I had when I first started rapping.”
“Since I went major, I want everybody to know I’m still keeping it street, keeping it hood,” Gucci maintains. “I’m trying to take it back to all my fans that I had when I first started my career. And at the same time, I’m trying to open up my new album to a new fan base. So it’s a mix for everybody coming together, like my first album was.” Gucci has always prided himself on his innate ability, and his refusal to let guest appearances dictate the tone of his records. “I just want people to know I’m a great songwriter, man,” he asserts. “I’m passionate about what I do, and it’s choreographed strategically when I do it. I bring a lot of experience, creative wordplay, and a crazy style. And my albums, I record most of the songs without writing them down; it’s a God-given gift and I just get paid for it. It come from God, it’s like wondering what makes a bird fly. He made me a poet like the great poets of the past.”
But don’t mistake Gucci’s confidence for self-absorption. The vicissitudes of his career have dictated a longer view. Lyrics aside, he’s less preoccupied with visible means and more so with acting as an emissary from his under-repped block. “I’m not the one to glorify what goes on in the hood,” he insists. “We have everything there, the whole range from violence to people getting on the bus and going to work. There’s a lot more to the hood than just drugs. It’s a bigger story, there’s a big picture. I went to school in that neighborhood, I worked there, I trapped there, I hustled there, and I got my name there. I’m proud to be from East Atlanta Zone Six, and I claim there. I hold that on my back and carry that, to be the first one from there to really rock.”
And Gucci’s professional aims have matured as well. While other rappers stress platinum plaques, Gucci hasn’t forgotten the route he took to stardom. “I made a lot of CDs on my own. People fucked with me and supported me, and just made me the man I am today. That’s my blueprint right there, and I stay mindful of it. So now, my only concern is that people feel my music; at the end of the day, I do it for people to feel it. If one person feel it, two people feel it, I feel like my job’s been done.”
Fortunately for Gucci, he should be prepared to welcome an army of new fans with Back to the Trap House. But longstanding fans shouldn’t fear; they’ll recognize “Freaky Gurl,” reprised from its previous appearance from Hard To Kill. Luda, upon hearing the joint, asked for a guest spot on the remix. Said remix now appears as the lead single on Back to the Trap House, following in Gucci’s theme of mating old and new. Over a bouncing, meandering beat from Cyber Sapp, the two cook up the requisite concoction of whips, chips, and chicks. Also look out for “Bird Flu,” the album’s number two single, laced by New-York based Supa Sonics. Elsewhere, firm guest verses from Rich Boy and Pimp C of UGK round out Gucci’s regional flavor, while Bay-area producer Zaytoven (of “Icy” renown) locks down Gucci’s West Coast appeal.
Gucci Mane has something for everyone, and with the struggles of the past in his rearview, Gucci is settled in for his ride to the top. “I’m best known for controversy but I’m trying to gain respect as a songwriter and entertainer. I plan to hit them so hard with this album; who knows what the future will bring. I’ll be banging them out till I can’t bang no more.”
Cocaine
Gucci Mane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Forget it by the quarter,
Bring it by the pound, straight through the border.
Cocaine,
Bring it 'cross the water,
When it touch down, serve it on the corner.
They taste it, they taste it they comin' right back
You taste it, you taste it, you comin' right back.
Comin' right back yeah you comin' right back fo' da,
Cocaine.
This for them white girl movers,
Big dreams of makin a million offa users.
Car and the money the same color of mucous,
Go get it his self they call 'em ghetto Frank Lucas.
Cocaine,
He got it by the boulder,
Got it by the bird and he got it by the quarter.
Cocaine,
So he keep one in the holster,
Colombian connects, so they call him Lil' Sosa.
Gotta try ta' catch the six o' clock mornin' rush,
I bet them niggas down the street ain't servin' more then us.
They look like 20's but I'm chargin' the customer 10,
They give-aways just to lure a few customers in.
Cocaine,
That's why its Bently Coupe time,
Dick, them niggas tippin', look at the soup line.
All day they be servin' them 50 packs,
Came to the table and count about 50 stacks,
Caz I know somebody who can come right over the border
That be the reason why they get it right back,
And so they got
Cocaine,
Forget it by the quarter,
Bring it by the pound, straight through the border.
Cocaine,
Bring it 'cross the water,
When it touch down, serve it on the corner.
They taste it, they taste it they comin' right back
Comin' right back, yeah they comin' right back.
You taste it, you taste it, you comin' right back.
Comin' right back yeah you comin' right back fo' da,
Cocaine.
This lil' nigga think he Pablo,
The whole thing in the panel of the car door,
Cocaine.
And even though we from Chicago,
Some kinda way he can get that overseas cargo.
And if you stop the connection he got then he has others,
Twins from Miami, I call 'em the Diaz brothers.
Got a killa squad, in the mob he the boss,
How you want it? 'cause he got the hard and the soft.
Cocaine,
They call him shawty blanco,
Junior El (Chavo?), in that Murcielago.
Cocaine,
That right connection to them poppy seeds,
'Cause he know someone that'll go wherever poppy be.
Cocaine,
And no the knot don't stop,
'Cause these niggas is go get it from the doc to the block.
And these tips gon' be open,
And these hypes gon' be floation,
I don't put too much on it, so it can stay potent.
I got that...
Cocaine,
Forget it by the quarter,
Bring it by the pound, straight through the border.
Cocaine,
Bring it 'cross the water,
When it touch down, serve it on the corner.
They taste it, they taste it they comin' right back
Comin' right back, yeah they comin' right back.
You taste it, you taste it, you comin' right back.
Comin' right back yeah you comin' right back fo' da,
Cocaine.
Y-O-G-O-T-T-I, fuck nigga play wit me get shot,
Pow-pow-pow from a coupe to a drop BEEP
(cocaine) big guap, nigga 18 bands will get 1008 grams of that block.
Fresh up out the pot, I call it water whipped,
Hit it wit the soda make that dope do a karate flip.
Five turn to ten, now that's a Maserati flip.
240 months, now that's a whole lotta years,
M6 Camaro, now that's a whole lotta gears,
Hit him wit the choppa make his family shed a lotta tears.
I'm a North Memphis nigga, we weighed everything,
Send them boys in Chi-town they like to gang bang,
? know the flo' do too.
Nigga imagine what I been through,
Shawty shot at niggas who, went to war wit me & my crew.
Gotti them niggas aint pimp like you, they aint real like you, they ain't trill like you.
They ain't sellin no bricks, they ain't shot no pistol, niggas ain't on a song wit Twista.
Hey...
Cocaine,
Forget it by the quarter,
Bring it by the pound, straight through the border.
Cocaine,
Bring it 'cross the water,
When it touch down, serve it on the corner.
They taste it, they taste it they comin' right back
Comin' right back, yeah they comin' right back.
You taste it, you taste it, you comin' right back.
Comin' right back yeah you comin' right back fo' da,
Cocaine.
The lyrics of Gucci Mane's song "Cocaine" highlight the illegal drug trade that flourished in some urban areas in America. Gucci Mane raps about the drug dealer's perspective and experiences, focusing on how cocaine is brought into the country - by the quarter, by the pound - and distributed on the streets. Gucci Mane describes the competitive nature of the drug business as dealers struggle to make a profit and attract customers, sometimes resorting to giving away drugs to lure customers. He also touches on the opulence that drug money can bring, with mentions of expensive cars and money-colored mucous.
The song has featured artists, one of whom is Yo Gotti, who raps about the life of a drug dealer and warns against trying to play him. The lyrics depict the dangers of drug dealing and the violent conflict that often accompanies it, with phrases like "Pow-pow-pow from a coupe to a drop beep" and "hit him with the choppa make his family shed a lot of tears."
Overall, the lyrics of "Cocaine" provide a gritty, unflinching look into the underbelly of the drug trade, and highlight the devastating impact it can have on individuals and entire communities.
Line by Line Meaning
Cocaine,
The song is about the drug cocaine
Forget it by the quarter,
Small quantity of cocaine is not enough
Bring it by the pound, straight through the border.
Large quantities must be brought in through illegal means
Bring it 'cross the water,
Cocaine must be smuggled into the US from other countries
When it touch down, serve it on the corner.
Once the cocaine is obtained, it is distributed in open street corners
They taste it, they taste it they comin' right back
Customers are attracted to the drug's addictiveness
Comin' right back, yeah they comin' right back.
The customers keep coming back for more cocaine
You taste it, you taste it, you comin' right back.
One time usage of cocaine is enough to make a person addicted
Comin' right back yeah you comin' right back fo' da,
The dealer's customers are loyal and always come back to him for more cocaine
This for them white girl movers,
The song is aimed at those who sell cocaine to wealthy white people
Big dreams of makin a million offa users.
The dealers aim to make a lot of money by selling cocaine to a large number of users
Car and the money the same color of mucous,
The dealers use the money to buy expensive items such as cars, and the color of the cars matches the color of mucous caused by cocaine use
Go get it his self they call 'em ghetto Frank Lucas.
The dealers are like Frank Lucas, a notorious drug dealer who operated in the US, and get their own cocaine rather than relying on someone else
He got it by the boulder,
The dealer has large amounts of cocaine
Got it by the bird and he got it by the quarter.
The dealer has cocaine available in different quantities
So he keep one in the holster,
The dealer has a small amount of cocaine on him ready for sale
Colombian connects, so they call him Lil' Sosa.
The dealer has connections with Colombians, who are known for producing high-quality cocaine, and is referred to as Lil' Sosa like the fictional character Tony Montana from Scarface
Gotta try ta' catch the six o' clock mornin' rush,
The dealer has to be available to sell cocaine early in the morning when people want it
I bet them niggas down the street ain't servin' more then us.
The dealer is confident that his supply is better than his competitors
They look like 20's but I'm chargin' the customer 10,
The dealer is selling cocaine at a lower price than others to attract more customers
They give-aways just to lure a few customers in.
The dealer is using free samples to attract new customers
That's why its Bently Coupe time,
The dealer is making a lot of money and celebrating by buying a new luxury car
Dick, them niggas tippin', look at the soup line.
Other dealers are having a hard time making profits, which is indicated by the long line of people in need at the soup kitchen
All day they be servin' them 50 packs,
Other dealers are only able to sell small amounts of cocaine
Came to the table and count about 50 stacks,
The dealer has made a lot of money from selling cocaine
Caz I know somebody who can come right over the border
The dealer has connections to people who can bring cocaine over the border
That be the reason why they get it right back,
The dealer's quick restocking of cocaine is because of his overseas connections
And so they got
This is a transition line
This lil' nigga think he Pablo,
The dealer knows someone who thinks he's like Pablo Escobar, the infamous Colombian drug lord
The whole thing in the panel of the car door,
The cocaine is hidden in the car door
And even though we from Chicago,
The dealer is from Chicago but they still have international connections
Some kinda way he can get that overseas cargo.
The dealer is able to obtain cocaine from overseas
And if you stop the connection he got then he has others,
The dealer has multiple connections in case one of them fails
Twins from Miami, I call 'em the Diaz brothers.
The dealer has connections in Miami that he refers to as the Diaz brothers
Got a killa squad, in the mob he the boss,
The dealer has a group of dangerous individuals working for him, and he's the leader of them all
How you want it? 'cause he got the hard and the soft.
The dealer has both the highly addictive and dangerous crystalline form of cocaine (hard) as well as the less-addictive powdered form (soft)
They call him shawty blanco,
The dealer is referred to as Shawty Blanco
Junior El (Chavo?), in that Murcielago.
The dealer is called Junior El and is driving a Lamborghini Murcielago
That right connection to them poppy seeds,
The dealer has connections to those able to obtain and grow opium poppy seeds
'Cause he know someone that'll go wherever poppy be.
The dealer knows someone who can grow poppy in any location necessary
And no the knot don't stop,
The money made from cocaine sales keeps coming in
'Cause these niggas is go get it from the doc to the block.
The dealers are always hustling to obtain their supply of cocaine from the source to the end users
And these tips gon' be open,
The customers will keep coming to buy cocaine
And these hypes gon' be floation,
The customers will be floating, or high on cocaine
I don't put too much on it, so it can stay potent.
The dealer doesn't use too many additives in the cocaine so it remains strong
I got that...
This is a transition line
Y-O-G-O-T-T-I, fuck nigga play wit me get shot,
This line is sung by the rapper Yo Gotti and implies that he is willing to use violence against anyone that interferes with his drug business
Pow-pow-pow from a coupe to a drop BEEP
This line is a sound effect implying gunshots and a car horn honking
(cocaine) big guap, nigga 18 bands will get 1008 grams of that block.
The dealer charges a high price for cocaine but is able to sell large quantities for profit
Fresh up out the pot, I call it water whipped,
The cocaine is recently made and is high-quality
Hit it wit the soda make that dope do a karate flip.
The cocaine is mixed with baking soda to create a more potent form
Five turn to ten, now that's a Maserati flip.
The dealer has made a lot of money and can now afford to buy a Maserati
240 months, now that's a whole lotta years,
240 months is a long prison sentence
M6 Camaro, now that's a whole lotta gears,
The M6 Camaro is a fast car with a lot of gears
Hit him wit the choppa make his family shed a lotta tears.
The dealer will resort to violence to protect his business, even if it means making someone's family suffer
I'm a North Memphis nigga, we weighed everything,
The artist is from North Memphis and has experience weighing drugs
Send them boys in Chi-town they like to gang bang,
Sending boys from the dealer's hometown of Chicago is useful because they are known for being good at gang activities
? know the flo' do too.
This line is not clear
Nigga imagine what I been through,
The dealer has been through a lot in their life selling drugs
Shawty shot at niggas who went to war wit me & my crew.
The dealer had to protect themselves and their crew from people trying to interfere with their drug business
Gotti them niggas aint pimp like you, they aint real like you, they ain't trill like you.
The rapper Yo Gotti is praising the dealer for their skill level and authenticity
They ain't sellin no bricks, they ain't shot no pistol, niggas ain't on a song wit Twista.
The people the dealer is being compared to are not as skilled or well-connected as the dealer
Hey...
This is a transition line to the end of the song
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MICHAEL AIELLO, MARIO MIMS, CARL MITCHELL, PAOLO PRUDENCIO, NICHOLAS WARWAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jared Diesel
This shit broke my windshield! It goes hard!!
Rachel Lynn
The base in this song is insane 😫😩❤️ and yeah I’m still bumping this in 2021!
RadfordII
Nothing wrong with coke.."all things in moderation" As long as one is able to exhibit self control and make good decisions..
Zac Simmons
What a throwback...Miss the good ol days
Melissa M
That bass is crazy. pump it on my 15s till this day.
Wylee2016
listening on some good ass ear buds and it tickles my ears
Rhonda Bobb
love this song y boyfriend listens to it all the time...lol
TrashPanda -
Lo killed this.
"And I'm still on the highway takin a risk"
Gutz
I came here cuz I’m a goon and this been my shit
Emma Mannon
I love this song so much